Weird shite puchased

[Rocket88]

Excuse my pathetic downloading skillz, but you get the gist. £1300 of minute loveliness, and remarkably free of water leaks [they all do that, guv] Battery a bit feeble, one headlight doesn't, and it's not very hetrosexual,but apart from that, seems fine. The gearbox is atrocious [they all etc etc etc] but it's a hoot to drive, and perfect for over here.

[carlo]

I've always wondered what these were like to drive. Are they autos?

[skattrd]

I've always quite like those, they're flappy-paddle jobs aren't they? I didn't realise they were getting that cheap though.

[dollywobbler]

They're semi-automatic with the slowest, stupidest gearchange known to man. Also seem to recall that the steering felt rather too low geared. I've always loved them though, despite that! They make a great noise, go well and look superb. Flappy paddles were optional.

 

Is that one of the low-spec ones? They were that vivid yellow colour and lost a few toys.

[messerschmitt owner]

Dw

They don't have a stupidly slow gear change if the actuator is preloaded properly and you use manual shift. 0-60 in 8.1s tells me the gear change is just fine and dandy. The best racing ones had a 0-60 of 6 seconds.

 

I'd suggest a remap, bigger tik pipe and silicone intercooler pipes. Remove the air box lid for a fantastic induction noise and better breathing for the engine.

 

Good call too and oh so nearly the best colour.

[Rocket88]

I pinched that photo off the internet, mine seems to have most of the acctrouments, which all seem to work. The box responds far better if you use the flappy paddle thingies by the steering wheel. I'll attempt to wang some photos up later. Biggest problem with them seems to be water leaks, but this one seems ok, apparently the passenger side mirror / door mounting leaks a little, so that's a bathroom sealant job. Paint's a bit faded in places as well.

This one has done a lot of miles, but has a full history, and I suppose November is the time to buy these things.........

[messerschmitt owner]

Colc

 

Ignore all of the armchair owners. I've owned mine for seven years and 82000 miles. If you need advice let me know. Parts aren't too bad from smart themselves.

[Rocket88]

Thanks, Mr 'Schmitt, I'll bear that in mind.

[dollywobbler]

I've driven at least three roadsters and probably more Smarts. They all pee'd me off no end with the gearchange. If you want to drop two cogs to really get a shift on, you're left hanging on for ages while it sorts itself out. I don't like automated gearboxes with that many ratios as it's too easy to confuse them. One saleswoman said "it changes gear quicker than you could." If I was an arthritic donkey perhaps!

 

It's annoying. if it had a proper gearbox, I would have bought one by now. As it is, I'll hold out for a Suzuki Cappuccino instead.

[kinkersaab]

Love those, infact, im quite a fan off all of them. If you dont expect too much you are always pleasantly surprised. They sound glorious too. I can't really think of a safer place to put £1300, they will go up and up imho.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

I drove one of these for a while, the gearbox does take some getting used to but once you've got the hang of it its great, almost shite-like in that it feels quite rewarding if you successfully convince it to do the right thing at the right time. Apart from that, they are probably one of the best cars of the last 20 years and I am gutted that they are no more.

[dollywobbler]

I was always gutted that this never happened.

http://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/new-c ... -uncovered

[cort16]

They're a bit daft and have plenty of quirks but I think that adds to their character. It's amazing what the lack of weight does to handling. I think the Brabus ones are going to be the ones that go up in value for first but at £1300 it's a total no brainer.

[HillmanImp]

That does seem mega cheap. Good find. Never been in one myself but a mate is on about buying one for his other half so I shall have a go in hers shortly with any luck.

[wuvvum]

I'd roll one of those. Can't comment on the gearbox as I've only ever driven an early Smart, which was frustrating as f**k but I understand the later cars and the Coupes / Roadsters are somewhat better, but I love the look of them and having followed one along a favourite local B road a couple of times they certainly don't hang about for something with such a teeny engine.

[dollywobbler]

I'd roll one of those. Can't comment on the gearbox as I've only ever driven an early Smart, which was frustrating as f**k but I understand the later cars and the Coupes / Roadsters are somewhat better, but I love the look of them and having followed one along a favourite local B road a couple of times they certainly don't hang about for something with such a teeny engine.

 

You've just reminded me of one test drive where the salesman took me out first. They certainly can shift! I've never been so scared in my life, nor covered so many miles in Coventry in such a short spell of time! Lunatic.

 

A friend sold his because of endless electrical woes, but then he'd probably spent about ten times the purchase price of this one. That seems seriously cheap.

[Rocket88]

Owner had moved into a flat with no parking, and was desperate. I never seen one before over here for less than £2500. I n fact, I nearly didn't answer the ad because I thought it would be nadgered at that price, but it seems fine.

[ypsilandra]

Blimey that's a bargain. Smarts hold their price, I was looking for a cheap City Coupe a while back and found it impossible to find anything, of any age, under that price.

 

We're now in our 5th smart, all brilliant and we've enjoyed every mile. I've never quite got the whole "crap transmission" thing that's often quoted. I think if you were to jump in one and use the throttle pedal as you would in a manual, yes, it would feel slow. But I find that I use the loud pedal differently in the smart than I do in the manual Accord and Master that I drive every day. Has anyone ever actually timed the length of a manual vs semi-auto gearchange? If I remember correctly, the gearchange has intuitive software, adjusting, over time, the speed of the change to suit the aggressiveness of your driving. When my better half has been using the smart for some time I can detect a change.

 

We've owned two Roadies, we had one of the first 30 LHD dealer cars brought over in 2003, a fab car, driven to work every day, on trips around the Scottish Islands and most memorably, fully loaded out to central Italy and back. We did over 43,000 miles in 2 years. Here it is on Arran:

 

 

Sadly we sold that one after the clutch actuator switch packed in and the car put itself into safe mode. We'd had enough of smart's poor customer management at that time so had a brief flirtation with an Aygo (the worst piece of automotive cynicism I've ever owned and driven). Shame really, in the end we got a full refund for costs from Mercedes Benz HQ, so we should have kept the car. It's still going strong by all accounts.

 

Our next Roadster was a lovely black Brabus, with the chargecooled 101bhp engine. I loved it, heated seats, stiffer suspension, grippier tyres and amazing sounds from the back end. The paddle shift was good, faster programming than our original 80bhp roadie. Sadly, I made the mistake of starting a business, so it was sacrificed for the sake of cashflow.

 

 

The roadster is a fab car, but was rushed to market by smart. Owners of the first production run essentially did their R&D for them. Yes, they leaked, but if the seals have been replaced (look for the later rough finished seals around the doors and roof bars) they stay dry. The seams in the front bootwell should have been modded (ie a liberal application of mastic) if it's an early car, otherwise water makes it's way along the fabric covering the wiring, ending up in the SAM unit. That's when you get major (££££) electrical issues, such as wipers working independently and the roof opening and closing of it's own accord. Front suspension gets loose and noisy, bulbs go all the time and the alloys on the Brabus are too soft for everyday use. But, I'd have another one any day. Every twisty bend was a joyous moment.

 

Enjoy your new toy and apologies for the essay!